9 JANUARY 2026

Pesticides Management Bill, 2025: The Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare has released the Draft Pesticides Management Bill, 2025+To modernize and replace the outdated Insecticides Act, 1968 +Key provisions: Institutional Framework – Central Pesticides Board(advisory body) , Registration Committee+ Pesticide Inspectors- stop the sale of unsafe products for up to 60 days pending laboratory results

Liechtenstein (Capital: Vaduz): Union Minister of Commerce and Industry of India visited Liechtenstein+ to accelerate implementation of India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA)+It is the only doubly-landlocked country in Europe+ Major Rivers: Rhine, Samina+ TEPA is India’s first free trade agreement with a developed group of EFTA countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland).

Aadhaar mascot Udai: The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has launched Aadhaar mascot ‘Udai (उदय)’ + make Aadhaar-related information more relatable and people-friendly +Key features: People-centric communication +Wide service coverage+ Participatory creation+ Inclusive outreach

PANKHUDI portal: Ministry of Women and Child Development + integrated digital portal to enhance ease of living for women and children by streamlining CSR partnerships and stakeholder collaboration+ Key features:Unified CSR interface, Priority themes, End-to-end transparency

India-BRICS chairmanship: India’s chairmanship is structured around four pillars – Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Environmental Stability / Sustainability+Chairmanship: Rotates annually among member countries +Represents: Approximately 49.5 % of the global population, around 40% of the global GDP and around 26% of global trade+ Initial members (BRICS): Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa+ New members (BRICS+): Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.